Anger Issues
by YoungConductor
Summary: Jaune Arc thought that his dreams of becoming a huntsman were dashed when he was denied a spot at Signal Academy. After a strange turn of fate in the form of a botched dust robbery, he receives a visit and an invitation from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. He believed in second chances, he just never thought that he would be on the receiving end of one of them... DISCONTINUED
1. Second Chance

**AN: So here it is: my first story, I finally got around to it. Finally climbed the mountain of procrastination and lack of motivation, blah blah blah, y'all get the point. Just a fair warning for you guys, my boy Jaune is going to be OOC, he's going to be a little bit of a mix between himself and Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!, my favorite character and anime. If any of you don't like it, that's fine I guess but please at least give my story a chance.**

 **I've thought about doing a story like that for a long time, and I was initially going to do a Percy Jackson story like this one but I decided to make the setting in RWBY so that Jaune's abilities wouldn't be** ** _too_** **out of place.**

 **I also thought about making Shizuo the main character of this story as opposed to Jaune so that it would be SNPR instead of JNPR which would be pretty lit. But I don't think my story would have as big of an audience as it might have if I do a straight RWBY story instead of a crossover.**

 **This might seem a bit gratuitous to some but Rest in Peace, Monty Oum.**

 **Anyways, I obviously don't own RWBY or Durarara! so there's that. Now on to the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 -** Second Chance

* * *

I felt the bat's impact against the back of my head and the feeling of warm blood dripping down my face as I stared at the ground. The clean asphalt streets of Vale, illuminated by the the streetlights, were suddenly marred by droplets of blood coming from MY head. I could feel the volcano of rage within me about to erupt as I ball my hands into fists in an attempt to stave off the inevitable onslaught.

Let me just make this clear from the get-go: _I hate violence_. As you continue to read my story, you'll come to suspect that that really isn't the truth and, to be honest, I can't really blame you. I hate violence but I'm forced to live a life where violence is a necessity. Ever since I took that job as a bodyguard for a former classmate (now debt collector) to earn some cash after the whole Signal debacle, that ironic truth has been apparent. I really, truly, sincerely wish I could live on a peaceful island somewhere but when you're cursed with my particular set of abilities, that really isn't an option. I've always had a hair-trigger temper but it wasn't until one day when I woke up to see that my older sister had eaten _my_ chocolate pudding that I had discovered that I had become incredibly strong as well. One moment I saw my sister scooping the last of the pudding out of the cup and the next I found myself holding the fridge over my head, preparing to throw it at my sister in a fit of rage. Thankfully my arm had pretty much shattered otherwise something much worse could have happened... At first my body wasn't able to handle my newfound strength, I literally am unable to count the number of times I had to be sent to the hospital for broken bones (thank the gods for free healthcare), someone I once knew theorized that, for whatever reason, the part of my brain that restricted my strength no longer worked anymore so, anytime I used my 'super' strength, my body would start to break down. However, after years of abuse, my body has only grown more resilient and has caught up to my strength so, unfortunately, I can fight without any harmful side affects besides the ones that an enemy might inflict upon me.

I took another deep breath as another futile attempt to stop my temper in its tracks but that's when I saw the cigarette on the ground. _That bastard made me waste a cigarette_...

* * *

"-Blonde hair, blue sunglasses-"

"-Bartender outfit-"

"-Shit! is that Jaune Arc?"

Ruby watched in worry as the blonde man (apparently Jaune Arc) who had quite literally walked in the middle of her fight, stood unresponsive after receiving a blow to the head from one of the dastardly criminals. Maybe he was one of those crazy people that her sister warned her about after they explored Vale together and saw a guy shouting about how he loved humans. Her train of thought was halted when she heard a gruff voice ring out across the street and realized it came from the crazy blonde guy.

"You just went for my head, didn't you? You know, if you hit someone the wrong way, you could kill them, right? If you know this, then you were trying to kill me, right?" At his point he finally looked up and revealed a blood-soaked, murderous expression. Definitely crazy. "Which means whatever I do next, you deserve it, right?"

All muttering from the gang of criminals ceased, it seemed like the whole world had gone silent and waited with bated breath for what would happen next. Then bam! The criminal that had attacked the crazy blonde guy was sent flying without his clothing and landed with a dull impact across the street. Apparently he was hit so hard his clothes had flown off; Ruby was amazed, she doubted even Yang could pull off something like that and she was going to Beacon!

The next few moments were total chaos as the gang decided to go all in and rush the guy, Ruby would have helped him but she was kind of starstruck, sure he didn't have a sweet weapon like her baby, Crescent Rose, but he was taking them all on with just his fists. The first thug to reach him was dispatched with a quick headbutt before he was picked up, spun around like a pizza, then launched at the nearest wave of gang members, knocking them out of commission before they could even land a blow. His movements were somehow graceful and he flowed like water through his enemies but the sheer amount of brutality and violence kind of scared her, was he some kind of huntsman? She was torn out of her reverie when she noticed the boss attempting to flee the scene with the dust, Jaune seemed to have noticed as well because he seemed even more angry, if that was even possible. Leaving the small fry to the blonde and ducking below stray debris (including pieces of the street and some of the criminals), Ruby chased after the boss.

Torchwick's flashy outfit and orange hair stood out against the grey and white architecture of Vale, thought Ruby with derision as she watched him make his way up the ladder of a building, why he was going to an obvious dead-end? She had no idea, but she wasn't just about to let him get away with it. Wasting no time with the ladder, she simply used the gravity dust bullets currently loaded in Crescent Rose to propel herself over and onto the roof of the building in order to intercept the boss. He appeared neither shocked nor fearful at her sudden (and perfect) landing on the roof and for a few moments they had a tense stand-off, the sounds of his henchman being clobbered were the only sounds that accompanied the strange scene of a criminal boss facing a fifteen-year old girl.

The sounds of fighting died down and Ruby smirked, hopefully angry blonde guy (promoted from crazy) would be able to help her against Torchwick, however he still looked unperturbed and even started to smirk a little at the girl's newfound confidence. The cacophony coming from below the building was replaced by the uproar of jet engines as a Bullhead flew into view behind the gang leader. He confidently turned his back to Ruby and strode to the passenger bay and climbed into the aircraft. Naturally, Ruby didn't just let him get away with that, once she got over the shock and covering fire from the Bullhead she attempted to rush Torchwick before he could get away. However, before she could land any attacks, the jetcraft gracefully flew just out of her reach but within her hearing range so that he could taunt her. So close yet so far.

"Goodbye Red! I would say that it was a pleasure but then I'd be a liar AND a crook!" He apparently found his joke amusing because a mocking grin made its way onto his face "It's truly a shame that I made you stay up past your bedtime! Sayonara!" He then aimed his admittedly cool cane/gun combo and shot at Ruby, she could see that it was going towards her feet so she simply dashed back instead of receiving the blow with a block. To her surprise, however, the explosion was kind of huge and sent her flying back farther than she expected, almost over the edge but she was caught by a strong pair of arms before she could test if her cape would allow her to glide down below (something even her Uncle Qrow had never allowed her to do.)

She looked around in confusion before she saw a (kind of) familiar head of blonde hair, he then let go of her, letting her slide to the ground before she got up and dusted her self off.

"Thank you" she said gratefully (to which he simply nodded) before looking at him in confusion "Why do you have a vending machine with you?"

"I was gonna throw it at him." said the angry blonde guy simply while scratching the back of his head.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, that guy looked plenty strong when he was fighting those thugs but was he really strong enough to carry a vending machine (not an empty one, mind you) up the side of the building? "Are you some sort of huntsman?"

"No, I'm unemployed." said the blonde gruffly while crossing his arms. She had obviously pushed one of his buttons.

Any further inquiries were interrupted by the sound of police sirens and doors opening and slamming shut. Ruby tugged on the blonde's arm "Come on, let's go tell 'em about Torchwick and what happened here!"

Angry seemed apprehensive at the prospect of meeting so many policemen which Ruby didn't really understand, he was a hero wasn't he? He pretty much stopped the whole gang by himself! By the time that they had descended the ladders, she noticed that the street almost looked like a warzone: men groaning for their mothers were strewn about with their limbs bent at odd angles and she spotted several dented streetlights torn out of the sidewalk; he must've really done a number on those thugs... One of the Vale policewomen noticed them and nudged one of her comrades on the shoulder and pointed them out.

"We finally got ya, you bastard!" said the officer in a suit (probably a detective), his defining features were his beard-lined square jaw, brown hair with streaks of grey, a pair of aviators and the toothpick positioned at the right corner of his mouth. Ruby was startled by the assertion, did they mean her? Did they find out about the pair of cookies she stole from a convenience store when she was five?!

"I guess you did, but what are you gonna charge me with?" impetuously inquired Angry, his hands shoved into his pockets "Stopping a robbery? Taking care of a gang of criminals for ya?"

"How about destruction of property?" the inspector gestured towards the discarded streetlights with a nod of his head, a triumphant smirk on his face "Not to mention the fact that, once we search ya, we'll probably find some smokes on ya too!"

Ruby was confused now, the blonde and the detective seemed awfully familiar with each other but, based on the fact that he stopped the robbery, Angry didn't seem like much of a criminal even if he was a bit destructive when he fought. Okay, maybe not a bit. And why would he be charged for possession of cigarettes, he easily looked like he was in his late teens/early twenties and smoking was banned for those under the age of eighteen. She cleared her throat and the inspector looked at her in surprise, as if he didn't even notice her in the first place.

"Who the hell is she?" inquired the detective, looking both towards his subordinates, and Angry for an explanation.

"I dunno who she is but she did help with trying to stop the robbery." said the blonde gruffly with a careless shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Well she's probably involved in this shitstorm too." he nodded towards the other officers and two walked towards the crime-stopping duo, a pair of cuffs in each of their hands "Bring her in too, I wanna question the both of 'em."

"Jaune Arc and...?" she noticed that the detective was looking at her with a questioning look and she answered dejectedly with her name "Ruby Rose, you are both under arrest for the destruction of public property and for suspicion of being involved in the armed robbery of From Dust 'Till Dawn. You have the right to remain silent, if you do say anything, it can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning and if ya can't afford one, one will be provided for ya."

Her rights were dictated with a surprising amount of decorum, thought Ruby, she thought he would've been like one of those dirty city cops from all the movies she and her family watched. As the the pair of handcuffs were placed around her wrists, only one thought entered her mind: she should've just borrowed some dust from Yang instead of going out to buy some by herself at night.

* * *

The only light in the room flickered on and off repeatedly, bathing the sole occupant in the room in a maddening, inconsistent light, water was dripping noisily somewhere off in one of the corners; it was like a setting from a cliche movie where the 'loose cannon' cop takes his interrogation efforts a step too far and gets kicked off the force. Was it even an interrogation room or did they just set up this room for a special occasion? His eyes twitched in irritation and a vein throbbed on his temple, one hand cradled his head while the other one (which was cuffed to a rusty, metal table) tapped the surface relentlessly creating an inconsistent beat that, in combination with his setting, was honestly starting to drive him a little crazy. Jaune was pretty sure that Detective Burns kept him waiting just to see him go stir-crazy before he interrogated him, the thought made him pissed off and he was sorely tempted to just break through his bonds, punch a hole through the wall and escape the station. However, he didn't really want to turn into a criminal, nor did he want to live life on the run as that would actually justify the actions of any thug trying to attack him, he would be outside the law after all. Plus, there was the fact that he didn't think that he would be able to afford the mounting destruction of public property and underage smoking charges. The blonde sighed despondently and practically slammed his head against the table, relishing the feeling of the cool metal against his skin. His head still kind of hurt since that red-eyed officer that had been leering at him (probably) purposefully hit his head against the roof of the car as he was being ushered into the back seat.

His head snapped up quickly, almost causing him whiplash, at the sound of the dingy door unlocking. He straightened his back and tried to look like he wasn't going crazy from the flickering light above him, he wanted to look as rock solid as possible so that Burns didn't get any satisfaction from his imprisonment.

The first one to step into the room was a man with messy grey hair who didn't look nearly old enough to have grey hair, but Jaune had seen plenty of strange hair colors before so he wasn't too fazed by it, he wore a black suit with a green scarf and also had glasses that were positioned lower down on the bridge of his nose. The blonde blinked in confusion, he clearly wasn't a police officer, so maybe he was the police chief? A private investigator maybe? Some sort of torture technician? The next person made Jaune blush a little and he pushed his blue sunglasses up his nose into their corret position to look a little more proper; Tom had always teased him for being into older women whenever the topic of his romantic life came up, much to the blonde's annoyance, so what if he liked more... mature women? She had neat blonde hair tied into a bun with a few strands hanging down the front of her face, she looked like a more risque office worker, like someone decided to dress up like a sexy secretary for Halloween. Her cape and the severe expression on her face as she looked about the room made him reconsider those thoughts, to him she looked like some sort of huntress (or huntswoman?)

"You are Jaune Arc, correct?" asked the man while looking at him with piercing brown eyes.

"Could be... who's asking?" replied Jaune gruffly, he wished he could cross his arms to drive home the point that he wasn't totally impressed by his interrogator but one of his arms was restrained so he simply settled for glaring at the guy.

The coffee-drinking man didn't seem too put out by the blonde's disrespect, much to Jaune's annoyance. "Me? Well I'm Professor Ozpin, though you might know me as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." He then gestured towards the woman "This here is Glynda Goodwitch, my colleague, a professor at Beacon Academy."

Jaune's mouth slid open before he closed it back up with an audible _click_ , he immediately regretted addressing the Professor with such a disrespectful greeting, not that he would admit it out loud, doing so would only make him more foolish than he actually was. But what the hell did the _Headmaster of Beacon_ _Academy_ , one of the few premiere combat schools, want with some thug like him?

He cleared his throat before voicing his thoughts "Why is the Headmaster of Beacon Academy visiting a lowlife like me?"

Goodwitch looked like she agreed with the question which kind of hurt his feelings, just because he acknowledged it didn't mean others had to.

"To be perfectly honest, I've been looking into you for a long time." seeing Jaune's confused expression, he clarified: "When you're in my line of work you to tend to look for potential candidates among the people of this world and when I saw someone with a reputation such as yours in my own backyard, you could say that I decided to keep tabs on you. 'The Strongest Man in Pond Alley', 'Violence Incarnate'... 'The Blonde Guy in the Bartender Suit', those are only some of the titles you have acquired over the years." He paused for dramatic effect "Tell me, what do you aspire in life?'

His piercing eyes were obviously looking for a specific answer, albeit a truthful one, so Jaune decided to give it his best shot: "Well, I've kind of always wanted to be a huntsman, y'know? Follow in my family's footsteps, do some good with my abilities." He scratched his smooth, beardless cheek, the next part was embarrassing "But, that didn't really turn out well, Signal turned me down for... reasons and after my career choices, I just didn't see it as possible."

Ozpin raised his bow and nitpicked his answer "Didn't?"

"Up until now it didn't seem possible." Ozpin motioned for him to go on, looks like he picked the right answer "As I said before, it would be kind of weird for the headmaster of a prestigious academy to visit a lowlife in a police station but, given how you look for potential, it's possible that you see me as a candidate for your school. This might be wishful thinking on my part but, I don't know, it just seems like this is how it's going down, y'know?"

There was a slight pause in the conversation, the headmaster seemed to be evaluating him before he adopted an approving expression before looking back at his silent companion and sending her a nod. Jaune didn't think someone could look so begrudging while tapping a few buttons in their scroll but Professor Goodwitch shattered his expectations. Despite her negative attitude, the blonde teen could feel his heart soar at the prospective meaning of her actions.

"Alright then, welcome aboard." said Ozpin nonchalantly, his expressive once more neutral.

"What! Really?" demanded Jaune, despite partially expecting (or hoping for) the answer, it still came as a shock.

"Really." he now had a smirk on his face.

"Wow! I don't- I don't really know what to say..."

Ozpin ignored the younger man's ramblings "There will obviously be some conditions" That got Jaune's attention "There will be no smoking on campus, it doesn't matter if you're above legal age or not. You will also have to visit the therapist at least once a week to see if we can rid you of that dreadful temper of yours."

Jaune paused at that, he could certainly see the value behind that proposal but he was reluctant to talk about his feelings and a bit embarassed about the fact that he would have to visit a therapist, not to mention the fact that he would have to give up smoking. Jaune sighed and wiped his sweaty palm on his thih before extending it across the table "Deal."

"It was a pleasure doing business with you," said Ozpin playfully while shaking Jaune's hand "let's see if we can get you out of these cuffs..."

* * *

 **AN: So what'd you guys think? Was it good, terrible, rough around the edges?**

 **In any case, please review or send me a private message with recommendations, compliments, advice, constructive criticism, even just plain old criticism, it doesn't have to help me but I'll still appreciate it.**

 **Feel free to flame too; freedom of speech and all that.**

 **Please share this story with others as well, the more people that give me feedback, the better this story will be.**

 **Or don't... that's your choice.**

 **Also, I already have two candidates in mind for Jaune's pairing and I pretty much have my mind set on them but if you have suggestions, I'll keep my mind and my eyes open to them.**

 **Here's a little outro, hope you guys get it, if not, it shall be explained in due time.**

* * *

"I suppose I have to thank you, Glynda." said Ozpin with a hint of mirth.

"Whatever for?" asked Goodwitch in confusion.

"If not for your presence, I doubt Mr. Arc would have accepted my offer." said Ozpin coyly, his smirk hidden behind a mug to which his colleague simply rolled her eyes. They had obviously noticed Jaune's... roaming eyes.

They watched as the new student collected his belongings from the policeman at the desk and noticed his growing ire, most likely due to the fact that he would not be receiving his cigarettes due to his age. The words 'private property' were tossed around quite often.

"We're going to need to replace the dining hall's glasses with plastic, or perhaps metal cups." said Ozpin while sipping his coffee much to Goodwitch's confusion.


	2. Familiar Face

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews, they were very encouraging. So much so that I actually got the next chapter done in a few days.**

 **All for you bb.**

 **Anyways, this chapter is just another introductory one before we actually get to the story. It's going to be showing how two characters met each other and what their relationship is like currently.**

 **The last part of the chapter was difficult to write, I'll admit, but hopefully you guys somewhat enjoy it.**

 **Here's your daily reminder that I don't own RWBY or Durarara!**

 **Anyways please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 -** Familiar Face

* * *

The girl could always rely on a good book when she wanted to escape from her reality, tales of heroes, ninjas, detectives and others types of characters would often whisk her away from a world of racism and bloodshed. At first, her interest in them was just a simple hobby, something her parents encouraged seeing how happy and hopeful she would look whenever she finished one but in more recent years, it had turned more into a coping mechanism as she was trapped in an organization that no longer resembled the one she joined at a young age, or rather, the one she was born into. So it would be no surprise to anyone who knew her that, when she escaped the White Fang, she would only find a safe haven in the one place she was sure to find many books: Tukson's Book Trade. Well, she could've just gone to any library or book store but none of them were owned by someone she explicitly trusted. Tukson was ex-White Fang just like her and left for similar reasons, albeit more early on. Before she had parted ways with the organization it had been Blake and Adam and before that it was Blake and Tukson, he was the only one looking out for her before she met her partner and, even after he had left, she still continued to think about him and what he might think of her actions.

She flipped a page.

Across the room, she could hear a sigh from the shop owner as he drummed his fingers on the counter, it seemed like business was slow that day, though not as slow as it could have been if people knew that Tukson was a faunus and not an exceptionally hairy man.

"You know you're like family to me, right?" Tukson began, causing Blake to look up from her book inquisitively "Any family of Old Man Ghira is my family. But I can't really afford to feed you, house you and all that for even a month." He seemed to hesitate regretfully with the last few words.

"Well... I can work for you right? You know I love books... All I need is a month, at most, before I get into Beacon." said Blake desperately once the message was conveyed to her.

"You know loving books isn't a requirement for being a librarian right? For all I know you would just end up reading all the books and ignoring the customers." joked the man to alleviate the tension present in the room "Besides I don't even have enough money to pay you. I have to pay off my loans, not to mention the mortgage payments... Well, you get the idea."

"Sorry for asking, I shouldn't have just expected you to bend over backwards to accommodate me."

"Uh, it's alright I guess." he paused a little awkwardly "Tell you what, why don't I ask around to see if there are any job openings? And just cause I can't afford to house you for a month doesn't mean I can't cover you for a week."

She offered him one of her rare warm smiles "Thank you."

He nodded before returning to whatever business he had been attending to before, probably reviewing ledgers or something while Blake returned to reviewing the book collection of her former mentor. They remained like that for quite some time before she heard the bells positioned by the doors chime, signifying that someone had entered the shop.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to- oh it's you to. Welcome back Mr. Tom, Jaune."

Blake hid behind a bookshelf but moved one of the books out of the way so that she could see whoever had entered. Two men stood at the entrance of the shop, one stepped up to the counter while the other one stood in place, surveying the shop while placing a cigarette in a packet, saving it for later. The one who had stepped up to the counter, most likely the leader of the duo, was dressed in a nice black suit with a blue undershirt that had its top two buttons unbuttoned, he had dark red hair that was brushed back with only two cat(?) ears that stood out. His eyes were narrowed into slits making him appear shifty but his pleasant smile belied that impression. The one who stayed behind was a tall blonde with blue sunglasses who was dressed in a bartender outfit, albeit without the apron to complete the set. A seemingly permanent scowl was plastered to his face as he held the door open for his partner. Something about his name and his outfit rung a bell in her mind...

"Hey Tukson, how are ya doin'? Still working on that slogan I see, you know it's not good to lie to your customers like that..." the faunus greeted easily.

They didn't seem like they were there to pay for books, who were those two? She normally would've thought White Fang but the fact that the faunus, Tom, had a human bodyguard disproved that. Either way she remained on gaurd.

"A slogan isn't supposed to be truthful... it's just supposed to draw people in. 'Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun' sounds a hell of a lot better than 'Tukson's Book Trade, home to every Ninjas of Love book under the sun.'"

Blake blushed, knowing that Tukson was directing that quip at her as well.

Tom laughed "I suppose that's true, you are the business man after all. Speaking of business, how's yours is doing?"

The easy conversation had adopted a more serious subtext that Blake couldn't quite understand. She noticed the blonde (Jaune) looking her way and she froze. However, he didn't seem to notice her or he just didn't call her out so she relaxed, the tension fading from her shoulders.

"It's doing great actually, its positioning in Downtown Vale sure has helped and so has my appearance."

Tom chuckled "Too true, too true. Well, I'm afraid Jaune and I haven't stopped here for idle chit-chat, do you have the usual payment?"

Mafia?! Was Tukson paying protection money for being on their turf?

Tukson nodded and reached under the counter and she noticed the blonde stiffen before Tom waved him off, the store owner brought out a checkbook and pen (much to hers and Jaune's relief.) He quietly tore out a page before writing out all necessary information and sliding the slip of paper smoothly across the polished wooden counter. Tom inspected it before nodding with a satisfied smile and placing the check in his worn leather briefcase.

"I still don't understand why you're choosing to pay off your debt on a monthly basis, you could probably do it quicker and easier if you did it on a week-by-week basis. Do you long for our friendship that much, Tukson?" teased Tom, cupping one cheek and looking away shyly as if he were actually bashful.

Tukson chuckled before adopting a more serious expression "While you two are pleasant company, if I'm going to be honest... having 'The Strongest Man in Pond Alley' come around on a regular basis has helped keep any _unwanted company_ away..."

Blake's eyes widened in fear, 'The Strongest Man in Pond Alley', she knew he recognized the blonde from somewhere, he was one of the men that members of the White Fang were warned never to cross paths with. She now understood exactly how Tukson was using his debt to his benefit.

"Hoho!" Tom started clapping "It appears I underestimated you, Tukson, you're smarter than I thought!"

The owner scratched the back of his head, unsure as to whether he should feel complimented or insulted "Thanks?"

"Well, I suppose this is where we apart ways, come along Jaune. I hope to see your punctuality remain consistent, Tukson. So long."

"Wait!" interrupted Tukson "Does your company have any job openings? Maybe you need another body guard or something?"

Tom cupped his chin in thought, the pleasant smile never leaving his face, it was starting to get creepy. "I could always use another bodyguard, especially with the crowd Jaune usually attracts..."

"Sorry." said Jaune quietly, his eyes having been drawn back to the participants of the conversation.

"Don't worry about it Jaune, you take care of them easily enough. By the way, Tukson, are you perhaps asking on behalf of the girl spying on our conversation?"

Tukson sighed wearily "Come on out, Blake!"

She stepped out from behind her book-laden cover while rubbing the back of her head in guilt and embarrassment. She had gotten caught eavesdropping on what surely was a private conversation, was she getting rusty? Then again, if they didn't want to be heard they probably should've moved to a more private location.

"So, what do you think?" asked Tukson while crossing his arms.

"She certainly looks strong enough..." said Tom contemplatively "Is she like you, Tukson?"

 _What did he mean by that?_ Tukson answered by nodding reluctantly.

Tom hummed "What do you think, Jaune? You've been quiet so far."

"You training to be a huntress or something?" asked the blonde, surprising Blake. Seeing her answer, he continued "Thought so, you remind me of my dad in the way you carry yourself. There's that and the fact that your weapon looks like one of them fancy customized ones. Yeah, she'll do."

The debt collector clapped his hands together "Wonderful! Come along now, you'll need to meet the president of our company before you get hired of course, I'll also have to fill you in on what your duties entail."

Jaune held the door open for them politely while Tom ushered her out not so politely. Was she getting kidnapped? She hadn't even accepted the job offer yet. She looked back at Tukson for help but he simply waved at her cheerfully. The traitor.

Some time later, the trio had stopped for lunch at one of the parks in the Pond Alley neighborhood in the commercial district of Vale. Along the way she had noticed some of the fearful looks people shot at Jaune and had even seen people crossing the street just to avoid him. Apparently the inhabitants of the neighborhood were well aware of the blonde's fearful and notorious reputation. However, so far he had yet to snap out or harm anyone, he simply followed Tom quietly while chipping away at a pack of Mistralian Spirit cigarettes. The two of them were quiet but Tom seemed happy enough to pick up the slack as he chattered away about what her responsibilities would be if she was hired, occasionally sparing a glance behind him to see if she was listening.

Currently the two bodyguards were sat down on a bench, quietly eating their lunch (a chicken gyro for Jaune and a tuna sandwich for Blake, both from the same food cart) quietly while their boss talked to the president of their country over the phone. They made quite a pair: an ex-White Fang agent sitting with her former organization's greatest potential enemy in Vale.

"So... where are you staying?" seeing her suspicious expression, Jaune elaborated "Well, you said this job would be only temporary, so I assumed you weren't staying anywhere permanently..."

"Ah, well I'm staying with Tukson for the time being, I'll be attending Beacon soon so I won't be staying in the city for long."

A small smile made its way onto Jaune's face, much to her surprise "I've heard nothing but good things about it from my oldest sister, my dad went there too. You must be quite skilled if you made it into there." Jaune paused to take a bite out of the gyro before continuing "So how do you know Tukson, is he a cousin or something?"

"I guess you could say that he's an old friend of my father's." explained the cat faunus.

They settled into a comfortable silence after that, the brief conversation serving as a way to bely Blake's fears of the man next to her. Sure his reputation was fearsome, but he himself seemed friendly enough, if a bit sullen. Then again, she hadn't seen him fight yet...

Tom walked up to them with a wide smile on his face "Allow me to be the first person to welcome you to the company. Congratulations, you hired! You can consider this day a trial run, to see how things are done when we're outside the office."

She felt a hand on her shoulder as she looked to her right to see Jaune's grinning face "Congratulations, welcome!"

Surely if they were both this welcoming, then the job couldn't be too bad... She decided then that she would forgive Tukson for letting the duo practically kidnap her and instead thank him for finding her a job, even if it was in the grey area of the law as far as she was concerned.

* * *

"Roman Torchwick is responsible for yet another dust robbery in the commercial district of Vale and he continues to evade capture by authorities. If anyone has any information pertaining to this criminal please contact the Vale Police Department, or VPD, by using the number shown on the screen. Back to you, Lisa."

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, casualties continue to rise as several more Vale citizens fall victim to a series of non-fatal assaults committed by an unknown assailant known to the public as..."

Blake blocked out the noise coming from the TVs and speakers aboard the bullhead transporting prospective hunters and huntresses to Beacon as she gazed at a familiar figure. A blonde man in a bartender suit was sat at one of the counters near the windows, his head was buried in his arms as he groaned piteously, probably from motion sickness if her assumption was correct. _It can't be..._

She walked up to him and lightly shook his shoulder, all the while praying that she got the right person, if she didn't she would crawl in a hole and die from embarrassment. "I thought you had no chance of going to Beacon or becoming a hunter. What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?"

Jaune Arc turned to meet her gaze, his eyes widening "Blake?" he asked weakly "Is that you? Have figures from my past come to welcome me into the afterlife?"

She rolled her eyes at his dramatic question but she was secretly pleased to find a familiar face on the ship that would be transporting her to the new chapter of her life, even if she was confused as to why he was there in the first place. While others may have taken a double take at the Strongest Man in Pond Alley's dramatic behavior, she had been unfortunate enough to bare witness to his childish behavior on the rare occasion that the debt-collecting trio would have to use public transportation to get to their target's location.

"So why are you here, anyways?" she asked ignoring his questions "Has Beacon stooped so low to even consider hiring you as a janitor?"

"Ha ha, very funny. You shouldn't be harassing the sick and dying, you witch." he said accusingly before receiving a light slap to the back of his head from said witch.

"Don't insult me again, silly boy, lest I turn you into an aardvark." said Blake, her mouth twitching upwards.

Jaune let out a weak 'Noooo' before burying his head into his arms once more, trying to survive his nausea much like how an ostrich might burrow its head into the ground. Blake took pity on him so she sat down next to him and ran her hands through his hair, one of the sure ways to relax him and relieve him of some of the pain he faced from his curse, one of them at least. Tom used to tease her mercilessly whenever she would do that to Jaune, but she would simply reply that she was helping a friend and colleague perform his job as a bodyguard. That didn't stop her fellow cat faunus from sending her those annoying, knowing looks every now and then to rile her up, something he took great pleasure from due to her normally composed behavior.

"You do realize you're going to have to tell me why you're here, right?" asked Blake nonchalantly as she looked around at the crowd of students.

"I'll tell you when we get there." replied Jaune, his voice muffled by his limbs "Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there- Okay, okay, sorry. Just go back to my head please." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Baby..." she only received a weak moan in response causing her to smirk.

She heard the murmurs of students grow louder as they all formed around a specific area of the bullhead, she looked to her right, over Jaune's form, to see a hologram of one of the professors at Beacon, though she had forgotten her name.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

That solved it. She idly noticed Jaune tilt his head higher to look at the hologram.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

As soon as the professor's holographic form winked out of existence and her inspiring speech/lecture ended, clouds parted to reveal Beacon Academy. _They must've spent a lot of time trying to figure out when to begin and the speech so that they could time the reveal perfectly_. The academy certainly was beautiful, the pictures of it online certainly didn't do it justice, the sun shined down on its gargantuan archicture and it was positioned beautifully at the edge of a cliff where several waterfalls poured into the Solus River. Even Jaune seemed to be impressed as he lifted his head to gaze at the awe-inspiring view, Blake thought she could see a small smile if she squinted hard enough.

"Come on" she nudged him in the shoulder "It's time to go."

* * *

He placed his hands on his hips, took a deep breath of fresh, non-vehicular air then sighed in relief. It was good to be on solid ground again.

"Are you okay? You're not going throw up on me, are you?" asked Blake while taking a step back from him.

Jaune rolled his eyes before placing his sunglasses over them. "Where are we supposed to go again?"

"What do you mean 'we?' You still haven't told me why you're here in the first place?"

"Oh right. After I helped stop a dust robbery, I was visited by Professor Ozpin who invited me to Beacon. Full scholarship and everything, ain't that neat?"

"Neat." she shook her head as she chuckled "You get to fulfill your biggest dream since you were a kid, for FREE, and you just call it neat?"

"What? Do you want me to get on me knees and shout to the gods how thankful I am for them giving me a second chance. Don't bother, I already did that to Ozpin and it was really awkward." he paused and looked at Blake disapprovingly as she laughed at him "Another dust shop was saved from Torchwick's evil clutches because of me, I thought you'd be proud but here are you are just laughing it up..."

She cleared her throat and took a moment to collect herself. "You're right Jaune, I'm so sorry for laughing at you. Congratulations on making it into Beacon."

He looked at her suspiciously before muttering a quick thanks. She continued "You know, I'm actually jealous. You didn't even have to do the written exam."

Jaune shoved his hands and adopted his usual scowl, but Blake knew he wasn't mad, he was just letting his guard back up now that he was around other people.

"I had to go through a live-fire test: took on a whole gang of criminals. The professional kind, not the usual thugs who go after me all the time... Where are we going?"

"They said that we're supposed to go to the entrance hall for a speech by Professor Ozpin." they saw an explosion in the distance "...or we could just go there instead?"

"That just sounds like trouble and I'd rather avoid trouble, you never know what could happen when I encounter trouble. Why don't we just meet up at the entrance hall when you're finished with your business over there?"

She shrugged "That's alright with me, just don't start any fights while I'm gone."

He waved her concerns her away as they parted ways, Blake going towards the source of the explosion while he simply followed the nearest group of students as they walked towards the castle-like structure that seemed like it was ripped straight out of a fairy tale and placed in Remnant. Even he had to admit that it was beautiful, the wide variety of statues and shrubbery made the academy seem more appealing up close than it was while viewing it from the cluttered streets of Vale. That being said, Jaune still hoped that he would get the opportunity to visit the city occasionally, there was always something going on in Vale, there were always cars driving around and people going about their business and he would miss that atmosphere while attending Beacon.

 _Maybe I should have gone with Blake?_

Jaune sighed, it wasn't like he was exactly fixing to make friends, it's just that it would be nice to get some new ones considering the fact that he and the quiet faunus probably wouldn't end up on the same team over their four year period at Beacon. Professor Ozpin probably already created the teams based on everyone's test scores to create a more balanced and effective series of four-man cells.

But making friends was harder than it seemed, especially for him. He knew that it was easy in theory: all you had to really do was just walk up to people, introduce yourself and start talking, but it was like his body was unable to do that. During the four-five year period where he had been denied a spot at Signal and started living in Vale, he had only really made two friends: Tom and Blake and those were more like forced acquaintances at first considering the fact that they were colleagues. Even before the Signal fiasco, the only friends he had were his sisters, people his age were simply to intimidated by his temper, his scowl and later his monstrous strength. He was sorely lacking skills in the social department.

He stopped as the crowd slowly entered the main building through the large double-doors. Older and more-experienced looking students in their uniforms (most likely the upperclassmen) greeted their incoming juniors cheerfully as they crossed through the threshold separating a normal life from their futures as huntsmen and huntresses dedicated to protecting the Four Kingdoms. Jaune briefly thought about smoking a cigarette but remembered his deal with Professor Ozpin: he wouldn't smoke on campus, he would just wait until he got an opportunity to visit Vale to relieve his nicotine addiction. Deciding to stop stalling, Jaune entered the academy.

On the way in he was given a pamphlet and a smile by a pretty girl in a beret and sunglasses before he was ushered into the building along with every other student. As he entered the building, he was greeted by the sight of a huge crowd of students milling around a stage, all conversing among each other.

Jaune sighed, it looked he had his work cut out for him.

* * *

 **AN: So yeah, there's that, getting the introduction to Beacon out of the way so we can jump into the story.**

 **I had a lot of fun showing you guys what Jaune's job was like before he was fired for reasons that I'll reveal later. I'll elaborate on his and Blake's relationship in the next few chapter but I'll just say this right now: their relationship is purely platonic right now, they've only known each other for a month after all. However that could change in the future (possibly) *wink*.**

 **If you guys didn't enjoy the last half of the chapter, I'm sorry but sometimes you got to eat the peas before you get to the more savory portion of the meal. I really am sorry if it seems too cookie cutter.**

 **If y'all have any criticism or advice, please review and/or pm me. If you guys enjoyed the chapter, please review and/or pm me. If you guys didn't feel any type of way about the chapter, please review and/or pm me. If you just want to flame and be a dick... well, you guys get the idea.**

 **See ya later.**


	3. Initiations

**AN: Once again, I just wanted thank you for all of the reviews, suggestions and PMs.**

 **I'll be honest, it took longer than usual to write this chapter mostly due to a combination of a mild case of writer's block, social engagements with my friends, several Twitch streams and the newest episode of Game of Thrones.**

 **I haven't seen an episode of any television show with that amount of shitty writing combined with good writing ever. It seems like they're trying their hardest to make a certain character's journey difficult no matter how nonsensical and absurd the challenges are. I'm just waiting for the books at this point, I enjoy them much more even if the TV show does have its moments.**

 **Anyways, the World Cup of Rocket League was pretty lit even if France didn't win. At least one of my nationalities, the United States, won so there's that.**

 **I also came to a starting realization today. Halal is an anagram for Allah, crazy right? Makes sense considering how good the chicken over rice at this one cart I go to is.**

 **Here comes the typical warnings: I don't own RWBY or Durarara!**

 **Enjoy the chapter, please. Or don't, that's your choice.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 -** Initiations

* * *

Jaune shuffled nervously from foot to foot as he waited for the Headmaster, or whoever was in charge of the initiation, to make their appearance. Though he stood among a crowd of hundreds of prospective students, he couldn't feel anymore lonely as he waited with bated breath for the test that would decide whether or not he would become a huntsman. Everyone else seemed to know each other as they formed into small groups and greeted each other with familiarity and with smiles on their faces that no doubt belied their nervousness. _Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet_ , his mother's words rung throughout his mind as he glanced nervously at his fellow students. How was he supposed to make friends if they were all in groups, their backs turned to him like his village's walls? That just made it more intimidating and challenging. Jaune sighed wearily as he dragged a hand down his face, stretching out his youthful features.

They all had their neat little combat uniforms ready as well, no doubt painstakingly prepared the night before, while he was only dressed in a comfortable set of jeans and a hoodie. He had already spied several students looking down their nose at him, judging him for the lack of flashiness that his 'uniform' possessed. Not only that, but everyone seemed that a weapon as well! He only had his fists because his dad said it would be too dangerous for him to have a weapon which certainly didn't help his self esteem.

He covered his ears as a harsh ringing sound came from the speakers spread out across the walls of the auditorium, all conversations stopped as the sound of someone clearing their throat replaced the void that the combined murmurs of hundreds of students left behind. The source of the sounds was found at the podium that was located at the middle of the grand stage: a man with graying, black hair and a olive green military-like uniform stood there while tapping on the microphone to see if it was working.

"Testing 1-2-3. Testing 1-2-3." he muttered into the microphone before looking up into the crowd and squinting. Jaune followed his eyes and saw a man by some sort of mixer giving a thumbs-up, showing that the audio situation was sorted out.

The man at the podium, presumably the headmaster, cleared his throat before commencing his speech "Good afternoon, students, my name is Ash Prescott, the Headmaster of Signal Academy, and let me be the first person at this institution to congratulate you all for making it this far into the application process of Signal Academy. Why don't you give yourselves a round of applause?" he paused and waited impatiently as he let the clapping of students and staff members subside "For some of you, this is the beginning of your journey as huntsman, defending the Kingdoms from the ever-present threat of the Grimm. For others, these may be your first footsteps on your path to dedicating your life as a member of the armed forces. For plenty of you, though, this is where your road ends, at least at Signal."

He paused to let the final statement sink in as confused muttering came from all around the auditorium. Some students puffed their chests out in pride, confident that they wouldn't eliminated in the culling, while others looked among each other uncertainly. Jaune balled his hands into fists as he looked up to the stage, looking at the man that seemed to be smirking as he looked at the collective indecision of the student body.

"Let me make this clear for all of those who didn't understand: only fifty percent of those who made it this far into the application process will be able to continue their careers in the Combat Education System, at most. Your family name will not help you here, the amount of money your family has will not help you here and any possible connections among the staff will not help you here. The only things that will ensure that you make it past this part of the process is your skill and your determination to follow your dreams and ambitions. You will all be paired up and you will spar in front of a panel of judges, those who lose their spar will not be accepted into this institution, neither will those whose performances did not satisfy the panel made up of different staff members, including myself. Don't worry, we here at Signal were especially careful to make sure that an even number of applicants made it this far so that there wouldn't be anyone left out." He paused to cough and clear his throat "You are all dismissed, please report to the table in the back where your the first letter of your last name is displayed."

Jaune's table was the easiest to find as it was the first one at the back left corner of the auditorium. A piece of paper was taped to the front with the letters 'A-F' clearly printed out in black. A woman with brown hair in a ponytail and tired eyes hidden behind glasses looked up at him lazily. "Your name please?"

He cleared his throat to make sure that his voice didn't crack. "Jaune Arc. J-a-u-n-e, A-r-c."

She hummed as her lidded eyes roamed the list twice before settling at the stop. "Ah, here you are. It looks like you will be paired up against... Summer Vermillion. Please report to room 1F which you can find by going through the first door on your left. Good luck!"

Jaune nodded nervously in thanks before shoving his hands into his pockets and walking out of the auditorium, pushing past the bronze handles of the double doors with his body. The halls of Signal were dark and foreboding, making him wonder if they did that on purpose to psych out any applicants or if it was generally part of the building's whole 'gothic' theme. He looked at the signs above the doors he passed looking for Room 1F, occasionally pausing to look at any interesting paintings or pictures of scenes depicting heroic hunters facing the Creatures of Grimm. Eventually, after walking past five doors, he finally found the room he was assigned to before taking a deep breath and pushing the doors aside.

He was greeted by the sight of a well-lit room with a large circular platform in the center with a table with three seats set at the back wall. Two men were conversing quietly as they awaited the combatants, one had graying, messy hair that was brushed back, he wore a grey dress shirt with black pants and a tattered red cloak while the other was tanned, had blonde hair and had shorts, a vest and one pauldron. Judging by their own flashy and distinguishing style, Jaune had to guess that those two were huntsmen. The one in the red cloak noticed him first as he beckoned him over to the table in the back.

"What's your name, kid?" the man asked, looking Jaune in the eyes. He could smell the alcohol wafting from his breath.

"Jaune Arc."

"My name's Qrow Branwen, you can call me Mr. Branwen, that there is Taiyang Xiao-Long" the blonde man waved at Jaune "you can call him Mr. Xiao-Long. Let's see where you are on the list, yeah? Alright... looks like you got lucky, kid: you're up first. We'll just have to wait for Prescott and your opponent to show up. Why don't you have a seat over there?"

It didn't take long for the Headmaster to show up, he offered Jaune a nod of the head and a shake of the hand before he sat down at the middle chair of the table and made himself comfortable. However, it took a few minutes longer for girl with red hair and a cocky grin to show up to the stage.

"Miss Vermillion, I presume?" inquired the Headmaster in a neutral tone.

"That's right." said the girl, the cocky grin remaining on her face.

"Hmm, I suppose you two know the typical rules of a spar, correct?" seeing them both nod, he continued "Well, why don't we begin? Will the contestants make their way to separate sides of the ring?"

Vermillion practically skipped across the stage to her starting spot while Jaune simply walked, when he got to his space and faced his opponent he saw that she already drew her weapons, two identical knives. She probably thought she would look cool after a watching one of those ninja cartoons that played every Saturday morning.

Jaune looked towards the panel, unsure of whether or not he was supposed to begin. Mr. Branwen was slouched in his chair, one hand cradling his face as he waited for the fight to begin and Headmaster Prescott simply formed a bridge with his hands and hid his face behind it.

"Begin!" Mr. Xiao-Long shouted, though neither combatant made a move to begin the fight at first.

Vermillion strode across the stage confidently, that cocky smirk still present. That was really starting to piss him off and that was probably what she was going for, too. He wasn't about to let her control the center of the ring either so he set out to meet her.

"What? You're not going to draw your weapon?!" she shouted from across the ring. Seeing his obstinate look, she started to laugh "Don't tell me you don't even have a weapon. What? Your parents too poor to afford a weapon or even a proper combat uniform?"

Jaune began to growl, his hands balling into fists as he tried to keep his cool. Didn't this moron know not to piss him off?

"Or maybe... your parents just don't care enough about you to even bother buying proper gear?"

Taunting might have worked on any other opponent, but she was taunting Jaune Arc so it didn't work as well as it would have on anyone else. Kind a like lighting firecracker, but instead of a firecracker she got a stick of dynamite.

When Jaune came to, the room was filled with silence and he was cradling his aching hand. He looked around frantically before his eyes finally landed on the form of his opponent lying well outside the boundaries of the ring. Her face was covered in red, darker than her hair, as if her nose exploded from the impact of his blow. She was being attended by medical staff from the school and Jaune, as embarrassing as it was to admit, honestly felt like crying, he should've known that something like this would happen... But a victory was a victory right?

He looked towards the panel with uncertainty and saw that the Headmaster was shaking in barely-contained rage while Mr. Xiao-Long looked at him disapprovingly. Mr. Branwen was looking at him in interest, however.

"Never have I seen such unnecessary violence in a sparring ring!" Jaune looked at his fists in shame, noting the discoloration of the bruises along his knuckles and barely holding back tears "Despite winning this spar, you will not be attending Signal Academy as it would be too dangerous for other students. Not only would they be placed under great risk for injury, but we simply do not have time or energy to waste on a someone with as little control as you!"

"Oi, lay off the kid a bit." said Mr. Branwen in protest as he shot Jaune a sympathetic look.

The Headmaster glared at the professor before taking a deep breath. "Leave. You may find your luggage at the entrance of the academy. I hope that one day you will find the control necessary to become something of service to the Kingdoms as opposed to a menace."

There was no point in arguing, the Headmaster's words had as sense of grim finality to them. As Jaune left the room, his head hanging in shame, thoughts of his family, who supported him unconditionally despite him being such a burden crossed his mind: _What will they think of me now?_

* * *

The sight of an auditorium filled to the brim with students milling about, waiting for their headmaster to make an appearance brought up bad memories for Jaune as he looked through the crowd for a familiar bow-covered head. Him being taller than most students gave him an advantage but he still couldn't find Blake. Knowing her, she would be hiding near the back or in the outskirts of the crowd. With a sigh, he began the arduous task of maneuvering through the packs of students. Some shot him dirty looks as he pushed past them while others seemed content to ignore him while they conversed in small groups.

Much to his annoyance, his journey was interrupted as he felt a small hand tugging on his right sleeve.

"Um... excuse me." he heard a small voice ask.

"What?!" Jaune demanded, his scowl on at full force as he looked back at the source of his interruption.

He was greeted by the sight of a small girl with red hair, black clothes and a red cape. That immediately made him feel guilty, he always felt that way when he made a child scared or feel threatened after one of his outburst. However, instead of seeing her flinch act scared, she merely offered a triumphant smile.

"Ha! I knew you were some kind of huntsman. You took out those thugs yesterday like they were nothing! You were all like ha! Schwah!" Jaune tuned her out as she made a whole variety of fighting sound effects. Just who was this girl? "Ooh Yang, this is the angry blonde guy I was talking about!"

Jaune's eyebrow twitched as she called over another girl, apparently named Yang. 'Angry blonde guy?' Well, she's wasn't wrong...

An older looking girl with blonde hair and an outfit that revealed a curvaceous figure popped into his field of view. He sighed slightly, he could already tell that this one was loud.

"So you're the guy that helped out my little sister yesterday, huh?" Ignoring the other girl's embarrassed cries, Yang looked at him appraisingly. She nodded approvingly.

Deciding to ignore her, Jaune looked towards the younger sister instead. "Do I know you or something?"

He could feel the disapproving gaze of Yang on him as the younger girl adopted a more crestfallen and shyer expression. He could feel his guilt returning. "Um, don't you remember? My name's Ruby, you helped me out with that dust robbery..."

Jaune squinted his eyes and cupped his chin in thought as he reevaluated Ruby, was there someone else at the robbery? "Oh right! Yeah, I totally remember you... Ruby?" He totally didn't but she looked happier now that he supposedly remembered her but he could see Yang's flat and disbelieving expression. He cleared his throat. "Are you a student here, or are you just accompanying Yang for the initiation? You look kind of young to be going here..."

The younger sister sent the older one a gaze that practically screamed 'I told you so' much to Jaune's confusion.

"Well, I kind of am but Ozpin decided to let me in two years early because how impressed he was yesterday!"

"Huh... he did the same for me. Not the two years part, but the whole letting me in because he was impressed thing."

Their conversation took an awkward paused then as both teens searched for what to say next. Yang, the most socially experienced of the group, was going to but in but Jaune remembered why he was there in the first place before she could.

"Right, have either of you seen a girl at about this height" he held up his palm at around shoulder level "she has black hair and a bow. She also-"

"Oh yeah, I remember her! She was there after I sneezed and blew up."

"You what?!" is what Jaune eventually registered after the ringing in his ears and the shell shock subsided.

Ruby then went on this tirade about she encountered some really rude girl who transported dust in unsecure containers. She then apparently inhaled some fire dust that had spilled out then sneezed, thus causing a huge explosion which must've been the one that got Blake's attention. When the girl (apparently a Schnee) was about to go and tear the redhead a new one, his friend came to Ruby's rescue by identifying the Schnee's unscrupulous behavior. Moral of the story: she had no idea where Blake was at the moment, but she did see her. Another moral: the heiress was standing right behind Ruby.

Her hands were on her hips as she looked down her nose at Ruby as she recounted her tale of dust, deceit and abandonment. She looked like his oldest sister, June, whenever she was about to blow up on Jaune for breaking another one of his bones back when his body couldn't handle his peculiar strength. She had the twitching eyebrow down and everything. He decided then that he didn't want to be around for that explosion, so he backed away quietly while raising a hand in good-bye as he sidestepped multiple groups. He used that technique whenever he didn't want to be held accountable for disappearing from whatever party Tom would drag him to.

What a day. And still no Blake. He would have to get her to teach him how to disappear in a crowd of people like that.

Lesson number 1: Don't be so tall. And blonde. Or have the name Jaune Arc.

"There you are."

Jaune would have cried tears of joy at the sound of his only friend's voice were he not so manly and tough.

He rounded on her with an accusatory look "You left me alone with these people. Do you know how worried I was for you?"

"Sure you were." said Blake dryly.

"The people here are so strange..."

Blake fixed him with a look that said, _Really?_ Right, guy with extreme anger issues and ex-White Fang member. Maybe Ruby and Yang weren't so strange after all...

All chatter ceased when the sound of Professor Ozpin clearing his throat sounded out across the auditorium from the speakers. Certainly better than the harsh sound he was treated to at his initiation at Signal.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction." Jaune swore that he saw Ozpin look his way "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Students, unsure of themselves, muttered in confusion as they attempted to decipher the meaning of Professor Ozpin's cryptic words. It seemed like the initiation speeches of academy headmasters were intended to have that effect, thought Jaune as he recalled Headmaster Prescott's words. However unlike the Headmaster of Signal's speech, Beacon's wasn't that threatening in terms of if it would affect someone's chances of actually becoming a fullfledged member of the academy. If anything, it seemed to challenge the students' view of what it meant to be a huntsman or what their purpose was in attending the prestigious and historical institution.

Why did he even want to become a huntsman? That wasn't a question Jaune had considered in a long time, not that he had any real reason to until last night. He also didn't really have an opportunity to either as he was forced to make some (literal) last minute preparations in order to be properly prepared to attend Beacon.

There was definitely the fact that his particular set of skills wasn't useful for any other kind of profession on the legal side of things, he definitely wouldn't be suitable for the military and its rigid command structure. And, as evidenced by his experiences at the debt collection agency, it would only be a matter of time before any of his employers would decide to stop putting up with his penchant for destroying public property (mostly light poles and street signs.) But Jaune wasn't really a pragmatic person, he usually did things for emotional or moral reasons.

It used to be that he wanted to continue the family legacy and follow in his father's footsteps. Silver Arc, his father, his grandfather, etc. were all hunters that served to protect the Kingdoms against the Grimm and in different conflicts such as the Great War. Jaune remembered sitting on the edge of his seat and ignoring the dinner his mom made for him just to listen to his dad recounting stories from the wide variety of missions he took. However, he abandoned that reasoning after he abandoned his family to live in Vale so that he would no longer be a burden for them. When Ozpin swooped in and rekindled his hopes of fulfilling his dream of being a huntsman, he realized that becoming a hunter would mean finding a purpose for his strength rather than using it just to make a living. If he played his cards correctly, he would be able to continue his education and find a path for using his powers to help people rather than just for self-serving destruction.

He felt Blake poke his arm then point towards the stage. The lovely Professor Glynda Goodwitch moved towards the center of the stage after Ozpin (figuratively) dropped the mic and walked off stage. Jaune readjusted his sunglasses.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight" she said simply "and tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!"

"If you thought any harder, you might've blown your brain up." said Blake jokingly as they proceeded to the doors that led to the ballroom.

Jaune rolled his eyes, people thought that just because he was super strong, he was also dumb. "Just because I'm not very smart, doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Well, I was thinking about Professor Ozpin's speech." Jaune hesitated before elaborating "About why I even want to be a huntsman, you know? That whole wasted energy, lack of direction thing."

"Why _do_ you want to be a huntsman?" asked Blake curiously, yellow eyes peering into his brown ones (turned a dark shade of blue by his sunglasses.)

Jaune sighed, he really hated talking about himself. "Ozpin gave me a way out of my shitty, meaningless life to be a part of something larger than myself. I'd rather be a rage monster that lives to help people rather than a rage monster that destroys everything and everyone around him just to make a living."

Blake frowned at the self-loathing that entered his tone and touched his arm comfortingly "You haven't destroyed me."

Jaune smiled at her reassuringly but he could feel a sense of bitterness grow in his gut, he hated when people pitied him. And he didn't destroy her. Yet.

He cleared his throat "I don't even need to ask you why you want to become a huntress, it's probably something corny like 'uniting human and faunus, destroying hatred with the power of love!'"

She punched him in the arm, nonetheless acknowledging his change of topic, "You're a jerk."

"You might say that, but you know I'm here for you either way."

Blake sent a small, grateful smile his way "Come on, let's find a nice spot before they're all gone."

"Sounds good to me." Jaune said with a shrug.

* * *

Blake peered over the cover of her book and rolled her eyes at the sight of the countless amount of boys flexing their shirtless bodies in order to impress the female audience. It was just obnoxious instead of appealing. Considering the fact that you had to be in good shape to be a huntsman, having a muscular body wasn't that impressive. She glanced to her right over a wall of bags, Jaune was simply staring at the feeling with his hands cradling the back of his head. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and shorts, much to her surprise. She had only seen him in his bartender outfit so a small part of her wondered if he slept in his iconic outfit as well.

"How do you think teams are chosen?" asked Jaune out of the blue, disrupting her wonderful book, much to her annoyance.

"Well, it's not like they're just going to let us choose our friends. They probably put people together based off of their test scores or grades from their previous combat schools." explained Blake, never breaking her gaze from her book.

"I figured that too, guess we wouldn't grow much if we were just stuck with our friends, eh?" said Jaune.

She flipped a page. It was book time, not converse with friend time.

Sadly, it was not to be as she felt a disturbance in the ground, as if an earthquake was happening, she looked at Jaune but he just had an annoyed expression as his face as he surrounded his ears with his pillow. She looked up from her book once more and nearly fainted at the sight of a voluptuous blonde dragging along a smaller, red/black-haired girl with her. She just wanted to read her book, damn it!

"Hi there! I'm Yang!" greeted the blonde boisterously, the other girl still hiding behind her "This is my little sister, Ruby!"

"Hello." said Blake neutrally, returning to read her book. Hopefully they would get the message.

"What's your name?" said Yang, her grin faltering slightly.

"Blake." Focus on the book. Focus on the book. Focus on the book. Focus on the book.

"Hi Jaune." said Ruby shyly, stepping out of her older sister's shadow. She must be quite skilled if she made it into Beacon Academy at that age. Whatever age that was.

"Hmph?" grunted Jaune, his head escaping from the confines of his pillow "Oh, hey there Ruby. What are you doing over here?"

Blake looked between the two, that must have been one of the 'strange' people Jaune had been talking about earlier.

"Me and Yang saw you over here so we thought: 'Hey why not meet up with a friend and make another one in the process?'" said the scythe-wielder, slowly coming out of her shell around her acquaintance, apparently friend.

"Friend?" questioned the blonde, not to be rude but as if he were actually confused by the notion of someone besides Blake or Tom considering him a friend.

"Well yeah, my father said that the strongest bonds are always the ones that are forged in battle and we did take on Torchwick and his gang together, right?"

Jaune stayed silent for an awkward amount of seconds, scratching the side of his head while trying to make heads or tails of the situation. A small grin made its way onto, one which he had no doubt been trying to suppress. "Ah, why the hell not?"

A great big smile appeared on Ruby's face, one that could have lit up the ballroom had Blake blown out the candle at that moment. The smile disappeared when she was devoured by her sister's larger more... voluptuous form. "Aww! My little sister is making so many friends on her first day! I'm so proud of you, Ruby!"

"Yaaaaaang, you're embarrassing me!"

A more discreet smile appeared on Blake's face, one that she quickly hid behind the cover of her book lest the two sisters got the wrong idea. She was glad for Jaune, she knew how lonely he was so she was happy to see that he was making friends that weren't as quiet as her, ones that might be able to bring him out of his shell. However, she began to worry as a thought occurred to her: what if the sisters thought they were friends by association?

Yang wasn't satisfied with Ruby making just one friend, especially when there were two people already present so she attempted to engage her in conversation as well. "So... you enjoying the weather?"

"Yes, it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book..." both of them didn't seem to catch on to the hidden meaning "That I will continue to read..." Somebody save her! "As soon as you leave..."

Yang finally caught on and sent her a very disapproving expression, like a mother observing a rude child "Yeah. She's a lost cause."

Ruby wasn't so sure as she continued to probe the defenses of one Blake Belladonna. "Soooo... What book are you reading?"

"People are trying to sleep over here but you four keep on making noise!"

Never in her life had Blake thought that she would be saved by a Schnee. She didn't she would be thanking one either but the Gods and fate tend to work in mysterious ways... She glanced to her right to see Jaune send her a pleading look. She sighed. While she could read in the dark, it was certainly harder. It was quieter, however, and would no doubt ward off any unwelcome intrusions and social interaction between her and the Schnee heiress.

With one more small sigh, she acquiesced to Jaune's unspoken request and blew out the candle which, by then, was the only light source left in the room.

* * *

 **AN: So yeah, did you guys enjoy it?**

 **As I mentioned before, I had some challenges with writer's block, mostly due to other story ideas bouncing around in my head, but I started to find my groove as I wrote out the interactions between Jaune and Blake near the end of the chapter.**

 **Some of you may have noticed that ya boy Jaune started to get a little angsty, and that's natural don't worry, it's just him revealing the self-loathing nature he as underneath his scowly shell. I also started to reveal some of his past and why he wasn't at a combat school when we first met him. I like using his past as an intro to my chapters, I find it easier to write that than the scenes in the show. At least the scenes with Ruby and Yang.**

 **Also, this is the longest chapter I have ever written, so I'll try my best to continue the trend of growth in chapter length. I entering the territory of, what I find to be, the optimal length, which is around 5000 to 6000 words.**

 **Anyways, please continue to leave reviews, they encourage me no matter how negative they are. Though, most of them are really positive, which I'm grateful for.**

 **Feel free to PM or contact me to leave me any suggestions or thoughts on how the story is progressing or should progress.**

 **Please share this amongst your friends or anybody else you know who reads fanfiction, I would like my story to reach more eyes so that they can provide feedback that would allow me to grow as a writer.**

 **Have a nice day everyone, I'll see you the next time a chapter is posted!**


	4. Notice

**Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,**

 **It's been a while and I've gone through a pretty hectic period in my life as I've begun to transition into the atmosphere at my university and, to be honest, updating Anger Issues has been at the back of my mind, I've been too busy doing my readings and assignments and partying to really focus on that.**

 **However, when I finally accessed my fanfiction account (on an incognito tab of course) I came to the realization that I didn't really want to continue writing for that story. I've never really been a huge fan of RWBY or its characters, I mainly watched it because I wanted to support Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum in their endeavors. I thought that I could put my own spin on it by introducing other elements from other shows that I enjoyed but I didn't end up enjoying the writing process because I had to rewatch a show that I didn't enjoy and write characters that I didn't like into my story. At first it was kind of fun but then I felt bad because I wasn't really writing my own character or putting my own spin on Jaune, I was just transplanting Shizuo into the plot of RWBY, dusting my hands off and calling it a day.**

 **I know it's shitty to just spring this on you all after a long period of silence but I feel like I owe it to you guys to just be honest instead of pumping out a crappy chapter every week-or-two. That being said, I want to thank everyone who provided me with support and feedback, it was a welcome surprise to be greeted with positivity instead of flames after posting my first chapter on this website.**

 **As with any failure in life, I will take all the lessons I learned from that failure and try to turn it into something constructive instead of just giving up. That's right, I will be releasing a new story soon (maybe), hopefully I'll make it to four chapters this time! I'll also be leaving up this story as a monument to my first foray into fanfiction.**

 **Yours truly,**

 **YoungConductor**


	5. NEW STORY NOTICE

**No new chapter folks, sorry about that but this story is still dead.**

 **I probably should've taken advantage of this a while ago but I've got a new story up, one that is better planned, doesn't consist of just Jaune but with the personality of Shizuo and will most likely have a long lifespan since I enjoy writing it!**

 **I'm kind of a scumbag for raising some your hopes like this but I figured I was just wasting this resource...**

 **Anyways the new story is called Doom Driven, it's an Elder Scrolls-RWBY crossover featuring a Dragonborn that is transported to Remnant. Cliché, I know, but I have some original ideas in there.**

 **So that's that... enjoy your days, I guess. And hopefully read my story.**


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